Destructive and often unpredictable severe weather frequently destroys both real and personal property. For example, within seconds, hailstones can cause substantial damage to unprotected vehicles and equipment. On the opposite end of the weather gamut, continued exposure to solar radiation may cause extensive damage to the interiors and exteriors of unprotected automobiles. Often, such damage requires thousands of dollars in automotive repair.
Over the years, numerous attempts have been made to provide a convenient and effective means of protecting an automobile from weather's harmful effects. Prior inventions make use of inflatable cushions, stretched cloth, or rigid guards for protection from hailstones. Typically, the required inflation or complicated installation has made using these prior inventions cumbersome.
The great force with which hailstones strike an automobile demands that a protective cover withstand and repel such impact. A successful protective cover effectively dissipates the force generated by the impact of a hailstone. To be completely effective, a protective cover must guard a vehicle's windows and body panels. Additionally, it is desirable that the protective cover be portable, lightweight, and easily stored in the trunk of an automobile.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved apparatus for protecting an automobile from harmful weather conditions.